Wheelchairs are ubiquitous and come in many different styles, models, and sizes. Wheelchair users are faced with many problems, but one of the most common problems wheelchair users face is overcoming obstacles that inhibit their ability to traverse their surroundings that are not relatively smooth and flat or otherwise wheelchair friendly, such as stairs that inhibit their ability to move between floors or levels of a building. The ability to overcome the problem associated with stairs has been addressed on multiple levels. For instance, laws and regulations have been passed by governments or agencies requiring buildings to be handicap accessible. Whether a result of such rules and regulations or the purpose of addressing this problem, many devices have been developed to help wheelchair users traverse flights of stairs or otherwise move between levels in a building (e.g., elevators, motorized wheelchair lifts, ramps, stair and step climbing wheelchairs, and the like). Despite all these efforts, there are numerous situations and locations where these efforts may not be practical or even possible.
For instance, acquiring many of the foregoing devices in order to traverse flights of stairs may not be financially practical for someone with a limited source of income or monetary means. Further, some individuals may be wheelchair-bound for a temporary basis before recovery and the cost associated with acquiring such devices may not make long-term financial sense. Other individuals may be wheelchair-bound as a result of deteriorating health and such devices may not be a practical solution. Still further, a wheelchair user's home may not be able to be equipped with an elevator or even a ramp. Many other buildings throughout the world, such as churches, office buildings or other institutions, may not be able to incorporate such devices due to space constraints, the layout of the building, monetary considerations, or other such reasons.
As a result, when a wheelchair user wants or otherwise needs to traverse a flight of stairs in buildings where such devices are not present, an attendant such as family, friends or even acquaintances may help the wheelchair user up the stairs and/or down the stairs by lifting or otherwise physically manipulating the wheelchair and its user with respect to the stairs. During this process, the people helping the wheelchair user are susceptible to getting injured by improper lifting techniques that may be employed as a result of the situation. The people helping the wheelchair user may also have their own health problems that may be affected by strenuous lifting or maneuvering of a wheelchair and its occupant. Also, due to the weight of the wheelchair and the occupant, the wheelchair occupant is susceptible of being dropped or otherwise injured should one of the people helping either get hurt or otherwise lose their grip and drop the wheelchair and its occupant.
Even when handicap accessible devices are present, the use of such devices may not be possible under the given situation. For instance, in the event of a fire or other emergency in hospitals, nursing homes, high-rise buildings, or other multi-leveled institutions that require those inside to evacuate, an elevator may not be accessible at all, or alternatively, filled to its capacity. As a result, the staircase may be the only remaining option for a wheelchair user to exit the building. In such situations, again, both the people helping the wheelchair user and the wheelchair user are susceptible to injury and even serious bodily harm.
It may be appreciated from the foregoing that there are many problems associated with the need to lift or otherwise maneuver a wheelchair and its occupant up and/or down flights of stairs. The present invention provides a solution for these and other problems.